Leadership Improvement and Social Advocacy Centre (LISAC)
) Exploiting short and long-term church planting opportunities: LISAC aims at giving the opportunity for missionary sending churches and church planting ministries to explore new grounds for missions in the world and to experience the challenge of faith. This will be done by arranging food, lodging and transportation within Cameroon; determining areas of greatest church planting potential, and accompanying them to those areas to share the good news of the kingdom with those who have not had the opportunity to hear the unadulterated gospel of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus.
2) Organizing pastoral consultations and Business development seminars:
LISAC run seminars/workshops with international facilitators drawn from across the globe to examine strategic and sensitive topics on historical and contemporary subjects confronting the African church, which is still deeply rooted in African culture, belief and traditional dogma. Consultative and participatory forums, reflections and critical analysis on Christianity and Culture and the family institution; organized with the aim of examining areas of conflict with contemporary religion. These seminars/workshops also deal with the issue of business as missions to foster the well being of mankind on earth.
3) Bible and Christian Literature Distribution:
God’s Word is critical to spiritual growth and knowing God’s truth. Without it new believers are inclined to revert back to their previous belief system. LISAC will help them grow in their faith by: delivering Bibles, New Testaments, Gospels, teaching materials, Sunday school materials, Bible study materials, and evangelistic aids.
4) Prayer and Presence Ministry.
• Praying for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Equipping Christians to pray effectively for the needs of their congregation.
• Regular visits to churches to encourage and offer hope to pastors and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
5) Pastor, Leader and Lay Worker Training
Often, pastors in outlying villages have not received any form of theological training and may be fairly new Christians themselves. LISAC believes training and encouraging pastors, leaders and lay workers is the best way to support healthy, growing local churches. LISAC will respond to this need by providing training and accommodating their lack of transportation and finances.
6) Fostering media Communications: The communication ministry has its role as catalyst in any society of human existence. The church has the responsibility of Peace- Building through Christian living and teaching. LISAC believes that a holistic analysis of politics, democracy and tradition based on Christian values would be achieved through media communication. For this reason, LISAC shall run print and audio-visual media.
- The Print Media shall be devoted to the production of magazines, tracks and research materials on African missions and church ministries. It is hoped that this will boost participatory interest on missions in Africa.
- The Audiovisual Media ministry will stimulate mission interest and promote Christian faith, discipline for peaceful co-existence in our communities. Our target is to spur up discussion in social and contemporary Christian concepts through a bible oriented base and make available videos, C.Ds and other I.T gadgets to boost home bible study.
7) Running a Christian Resource and Research Centre.
This will develop a ministry research library from the global Christian network of churches and ministries. An African distinctive research on mission strategy in cross-cultural consideration for the advancement and the growth of the church. The resource Centre will help generate ministry resources for church planting and evangelism, boosting ministry interest in soul wining and work in partnership with sending churches and ministries.
8) Operating poverty Alleviation Fund.
LISAC initiates access and opportunities to reconcile the total well - being of man both physical and spiritual level. Ministries have crumbled for the lack of support, initiatives have been killed, visions left in the dark for lack of support. Such funds will act as catalyst, challenging the secular world that God has interest in the total and well being of man. This will help in supporting families living in abject poverty, orphans, widows and street children who are faced with the challenge of living their own lives. Pastors are equally in need. They do not put in their best because of poverty and hard living. It is expected that they would benefit from this fund.
This fund will serve the following needs:
-Christian loan and support fund.
-Humanitarian Relief Projects.
-Church Building Project Support Funds.
-Missions Support Fund.
-Rehabilitation of HIV/AIDS victims (Ministering to the sick)
Expected Results.
Missionaries working in new grounds planting churches from cross-cultural networking.
-Pastors and the laities are mobilized for missions with good human relation.
-Family and ministries, devotion, bible studies and network of support initiatives built for church planting and for church planters.
-Church expansion and ministry commitment takes roots.
-Peaceful co-existence in our communities and neighborhoods.
Areas of Concern.
-Prayer
-Donation of used books, magazines, bibles, computers, clothing, bags, shoes, TV, videos and household items
-Funding for numerated projects, such as; community development projects, church mobilization for missions, widows, orphans.
Cameroon
Our mission is to strengthen and equip God’s people to enable them to grow in their personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to spread the Good News of salvation. This is in obedience to Christ’s command to us in Matthew 28:19-20: 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
LISAC aims at planting at least two new healthy churches every two months within the vast FulaniÂ’s of the Adamawa plateau. This can be achieve through strategic project within their community. Such as meeting physical and health needs. -=Councilors and discipleship training for door to door soul wining.
-Help the elderly through sustenance and presence of ministry.
-Carry out specific community development projects like: Water, health unites education.
Train community leaders for participatory involvement by strategic programs. Bringing hope for community youth.
-Bring in community external visiting missionaries and pastors, youth groups to come share their faith in areas like Adamawa plateau and gain experience through cross cultural learning.
-LISAC will work within the Adamawa plateau for seven years on a yearly evaluation of ministry progress.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
PREFACE
Baptist, since their beginnings, repeatedly has composed confessions, which expressed the doctrinal consensus among related churches. In principle, however, Baptist always has insisted that no statement of faith can be considered creed ally binding even upon concurring congregations. The purpose of their doctrinal summaries was to explain to other Christians and to the larger society what Baptist believed and practiced. Within and among Baptist also provided a standard for instruction, counsel and fellowship.
LISAC, presently feel the need to state more fully the understanding of the Christian faith. The purpose that has guided us in writing and the used that is intended for these declarations are:
1. To further the sense of identity and spirit of unity within the Christian community, declaring our common doctrinal understandings.
2. To provide a basis for doctrinal instruction within the church.
3. To serve as a reference point when opinions differ.
4. To provide a basis for doctrinal discussion with other churches.
5. To provide a doctrinal guide with other churches and pastors.
6. To give a doctrinal witness beyond.
In continuity with our immediate forefathers and the larger fellowship of believers around the world we seek to practice and propagate by God’s grace the following convictions:
1. We believe the bible is the God’s word given divine inspiration, the record of God’s revelation of Himself to humanity (11Timothy 3:16). It is trustworthy, sufficient, without error- the supreme authority and guide for all doctrine and conduct (1Peter 1: 23-25; John 17:17; 11Timothy 3:16:17). It is the truth by which God brings people into a saving relationship to Christian maturity (John 20:31, 1John 5:9-12; Matthew 4:4. 1Peter 2:2).
2. We believe in the one living and true God, perfect in wisdom, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy and love (1Timothy 1:17. Psalm 86:15. Deuteronomy 32: 3-4). He exist eternally in three coequal persons who act together in creation, providence and redemption (Genesis 1: 26, 1 Peter 1:2, Hebrews 1:1-3).
a. The Father reigns with providential care over all life and history in the created universe; He hears and answers prayers (1Chronicles 29:11-13, Mathew 7:11). He initiated salvation by sending his own son, and he is Father to those who by faith accept His son as lord and savior (1 John 4:9-10, John 3:16, John 1:12, Acts 16:31).
b. The son became a man, Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Jesus being fully man and fully God. He revealed God through His sinless life, miracles and teaching (John 14:9, Hebrews 4: 15, Mathew 4:23-24). He provided salvation through his atoning death in our place and by His bodily resurrection ( 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 11 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 4:23-25). He ascended into heaven where he rules over all creation (Philippians 2:5-11). He intercedes for all believers and dwells in them as their ever present Lord (Romans 8:34, John 14:23).
c. The Holy Spirit inspired men to write the scriptures (11Peter 1:21). Through this word, He convicts individuals of sinfulness and of the righteousness of Christ, draws them to the Savior and bears witness to their new birth (James 1:18, John 16:7-11. 1Thessalonians 1:5-6, Romans 8:16). At the regeneration and conversion, the believers is baptized in the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12: 13). The Spirit dwells, seals and gives spiritual gifts to all believers for all ministry in the church and society (Romans 8:9-11, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 12:8, 1 Peter 4:10). He empowers, guides teaches, fills, sanctifies and produces the fruit of Christ likeness in all who yield to him (Acts 4:31, Romans 8:14, 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, Ephesians 5:18, 11Thessalonians 1:13, Galatians 5:22-23).
3. We believe God created an order of spiritual beings to serve Him and do to His will (Psalm 148:1-5, Colossians 1:16). The holy angels are obedient spirits ministering to the heirs of salvation and glorifying God (Hebrews 1:6-7, 13-14). Certain angels, called demons, Satan being their chief, through deliberate choice revolted and fell from their exalted position (Revelation 12:7-9). They now tempt individuals to rebel against god (1 Timothy 2:14, Revelation 20:10).
4. We believe God created man in his own image to have fellowship with him and be steward over creation (Genesis 1:26-28). As a result, each person is unique, possesses dignity and worthy of respect (Psalm 139:13-17). Through the temptation of Satan, Adam chose to disobey God; this brought sin and death to the human race and suffering to all creation (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-21, 8:22). Therefore every one is born with a sinful nature and needs to be reconciled to God (Romans 3:9-18, 23.) Satan tempts people to rebel against God, even those who love him (Ephesians 4:27, 11 Corinthians 2:11. Mathew 16:23). Nonetheless, every one is personally responsible to God for thoughts, actions and beliefs and has the right to approach him directly through Jesus Christ, the only mediator (Romans 14:13, 1 Timothy 2:5).
5. We believe salvation is redemption by Christ of the whole person from sin and death (11 Timothy 1:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:23). It is offered as a free gift by God to as many as the received Him personally through repentance and faith in Christ Jesus ( 1 Timothy 1:4, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 20:21) As a child of God, the believer is acquitted of all guilt brought into a new relationship of peace (Romans 5:1) Christians grow as the Holy Spirit enables them to understand and obey the word of God (11Peter3:18, Ephesians 4:15, 1 Thessalonians 3:12).
6. We believe the church is the body of which Christ is the head and all who believe in him are members (Ephesians 1:22-23, Romans 12:4-5). Christians are commanded to be baptized upon profession of faith and to unite with a local church for mutual encouragements and growth in discipleship through worship, nurture, service and proclamation of Jesus Christ to the world (Acts 13:1-3; 14:26-28). The form of government is understood to be congregational (Mathew 18:17). The ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mathew 28:18-20). It is and acts of obedience symbolizing the believer’s identification with the death, burial and resurrection of the savior Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-5). The Lord’s Supper is partaking of the bread and the cup by believers together as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. It is an act of thankful dedication to Him and serves to unite his people until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
7. we believe religious liberty, rooted in scripture, is the inalienable right of all individuals to freedom of conscience with ultimate accountability to God (Genesis 1:27, John 8:32, 11 Corinthians 3:17, Romans 8:21, Acts 5:29). Church and state exist by the will of God. Each has distinctive concerns and responsibilities, free from control by the other (Mathew 22:21) Christian should pray for civil leaders and obey and support government in matters not contrary to scripture. (1 Timothy 2:1-4, Romans 13:1-7, 1Peter 2:13-16). The state should guarantee religious liberty to all persons and groups regardless of their religious preferences, consistent with the common good.
8. We believe Christians, individually and collectively, are salt and light in society (Mathew 5:13-15). In a Christ like spirit, they oppose greed, selfishness and vice: they promote truth, justice and peace; they aid the needy and preserve the dignity of all people of all races and conditions (Hebrew13:5, Luke 9:23, Titus 2:12,Philippians 4:8-9, 1John 3:16, James 1:1-4, we affirm the family as the basic unit of society and seek to preserve its integrity and stability( Genesis 2:21-25, Ephesians 6:1-4).
9. We believe God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring all things to their appropriate end and establish the new heaven and the new earth (Ephesians 1:9-10, Revelation 21:1). The certain hope of the Christian is that Jesus Christ will return to earth suddenly, personally and visibly in glory according to His promise (Titus2:13, Revelation 1:7,3:11, John 14:1-3). The dead will rise and Christ will judge mankind in righteousness (John 5:28-29). The unrighteous will end in the everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (Mathew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10). The resurrected and glorified bodies will receive an be with the lord (Philippians 3:20-21, 11corinthians 5:10, 1Thesalonians 4:13-18).
